Identify the correct west to the east sequence of the following Hilly Castes?

The correct answer is C. The sequence from west to east is Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Naga.

• Garo hills lie in western Meghalaya, the westernmost of the three major hill groups of the state.
• Khasi hills lie in the central part of Meghalaya, east of the Garo hills.
• Jaintia hills lie east of the Khasi hills, bordering Assam and Karbi Anglong.
• Naga hills lie further east, in Nagaland, which became a state in 1963.

Option A is wrong because it places Garo east of Khasi and Jaintia. Option B is wrong because it puts Naga at the western end. Option D is wrong because it puts Jaintia in the west and Khasi at the eastern end. The core concept is the physical geography of Northeast India and how the tribal areas map onto it. For Mains, link this to the Sixth Schedule under Article 244, which governs the autonomous district councils in Meghalaya, and to Article 371A, which protects Naga customary law.

Trap: candidates often confuse the Khasi and Jaintia hills because the two districts are adjacent and both are matrilineal. Also, Naga is sometimes placed too far west simply because Nagaland is prominent in tribal discussions.